Abubakar Salim in ‘House of the Dragon’

Max

[This story contains spoilers from House of the Dragon season two, episode seven, “The Red Sowing.”]

The latest episode of House of the Dragon was a huge win for Team Black, if only in the short term, as Queen Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) plan to recruit new dragon riders came to fruition. While several men and women were killed horribly in dragon fire, a few others emerged from the trials with new dragons to call their own. What’s a few dozen casualties when three new fire-powered soldiers are officially on the board?

But not every character with Valyrian blood managed to snag a dragon, or even attempt to snag one. Conspicuously absent from the dragon-snatching party: Alyn of Hull, the Seasnake’s bastard son who is emerging as a leader in Team Black’s seafaring side of the war against the Greens. While his brother Addam (Clinton Liberty) was the first of the new riders (called Dragonseeds) to emerge, Alyn has expressed no interest in following in his footsteps, opting instead for a continued life of salt and sea.

Of course, you don’t need a dragon to make an impact on Westeros, and even if it’s not entirely obvious yet, Alyn’s going to have an impact on the Game of Thrones prequel. Already an HBO favorite (at least for this writer) having played the android Father on the tragically canceled and criminally underrated HBO/Max sci-fi series Raised by Wolves, actor Abubakar Salim has wound up with a pivotal role on House of the Dragon, one that should keep him plenty occupied for the wars to come.

Below, Salim talks to The Hollywood Reporter about changes from the book to the TV screen for Alyn, how he’s processing his newfound relationship with his estranged father, and one particularly inventive idea that Salim (famously, a fan of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons) has in mind for a Raised by Wolves resurrection.

How much did you know about Alyn’s story coming into House of the Dragon? He has a pretty big story.

I’ve got a wild story, man. Yeah. I’ve read [George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood], and I was aware of the world. I remember even watching Game of Thrones and really falling in love with it, and then reading the books. When I heard about House of the Dragon, I was really interested, so I read the book. I remember going into the season one premiere thinking it was really, really cool, and that this is a world that will be awesome to jump into. So, I was aware of it all. And then my journey, and where it goes? It made everything so much more exciting for me.

There was a brief moment for me feeling like, “Man, why is Alyn the only one not getting into the dragon-claiming game?” But then I remember where your story goes and I had to imagine, you weren’t too worried about it.

That’s the thing. There are quite a few changes between the book and the show. Specifically, Alyn’s age. In the book, he’s 15 years old. The 15-year-old Alyn would probably want to try to find a dragon… and we know how that works out, if you’ve read the book. But I think there’s the mentality here, as he’s older, where he’s got all this baggage and scars from life, and there’s a reality of where his station is. The last thing he wants to do is join in a stupid dance with a squabble between families. He just wants to do his job, go home, eat food and that’s it. That’s what he wants to focus on: his family, providing for them and, specifically, his brother.

How will Alyn respond when Addam comes home with a dragon?

I think he’ll be raging. Again, it’s almost like, “You didn’t listen to me!” In the first episode of this season he tells him, “This is not a joke. It’s a real war. People are dying. Everyone’s dying. Literally, we just have seen Rhaenys, a dragon rider of high importance, die…”

Who was obviously very important to your story, in her own way.

Exactly. She knew how to ride a dragon, and now she’s gone. So, “Now, you’re just hopping on one? You’re just riding a nuclear missile? What’s wrong with you?” I think Alyn is very much of the mentality of, “This sucks.” (Laughs)

It’s so interesting, because Addam secures the dragon, and Corlys gives him the slightest bit of acknowledgement. But then he comes to Alyn and basically offers an opportunity to fly on a dragon. Addam wants a relationship with his dad, and Alyn really doesn’t want it at all.

I think there are so many similarities between Corlys and Alyn, though. I think they’re both very aware of it, too. And I think Alyn hates it. He can see it, he can feel it, he knows what Corlys knows, and that’s why their relationship is very difficult and strained. Addam still has this mentality of hope, though, and is still in that phase. The older you get, the more you become a realist. There’s a sense of real truth to the idea that, even if Corlys named Alyn as one of his sons or Addam as one of his sons, we’ll never really be one of his sons. That’s the reality of where we’re playing. All of the times he could have named us, he chooses now, when no one is around. So Alyn, I don’t think he could accept Corlys as his father.

It feels like Corlys, with his wife gone, kids gone, feels like he missed out on something with Alyn in particular… but for Alyn, you don’t think it’s ever going to register?

It’s too late, man. Way too late. I think that’s why it’s interesting to play Alyn at an older age. This is a really cemented psyche. He’s had to find love elsewhere, and he wants to give that and pour that onto his brother. Now that his brother is being dragged into this, there’s this feeling of being on edge. Alyn’s always going to be on edge now.

Will that tempt him deeper into the war?

Oh, absolutely. There’s an absolute reason why he’s involved. He needs to get involved. He needs to ensure that his brother is safe. Before any of this kicked off, he knew where his brother was, that he was always going to be at home, but now, he could be anywhere. He’s gallivanting with a queen. We know what happens to people who get too close to the queen. Everyone dies, but them. So now, Alyn’s objective is to make sure his brother is safe. If anything were to happen to him, that would destroy Alyn. I think that’s the direction and the mentality I’m going for with this. He’s my anchor.

Based on your conversations with your colleagues, do you feel like you’re missing out on not being a dragon rider, or do you feel like you’ve dodged a dragon-breath-sized bullet?

You know what really grinds my gears? When people found out I was in House of the Dragon, guess the first question they all ask? And then I have to be like, “Look, it’s complicated.” At the same time, there’s a part of me that would have loved to ride a dragon, but I’ve got my ship, man.

I’m a big Raised by Wolves fan. I loved Father. What can we do to get this back online? Anything?

I don’t know, man. I keep saying, I could turn this into a video game. Just let me do it! Let me do it! 

It’s so good for so many mediums. A comic book, anime…

An anime! Oh, man.

Table-top game?

Absolutely. That would be dope.

Could you run a Raised by Wolves TTRPG? Is it something you could stream?

A one-shot, or actually continue? That could be really cool. I’d pull a lot of mechanics from Blades in the Dark, which is a really cool tabletop game. I’m currently playing it with Critical Role, funnily enough. 

That whole gang is right there to do the voice work…

I know. I know!

Would anyone come after you if you ran this?

No. No one. As long as it’s with {production company and showrunner] Scott Free and Aaron Guzikowski, we’d be okay. Just have to come up with the right idea and find the funding. 

Alright, well, I’m keeping all of that in the article. Internet, do your thing.

Do it man, do it. I’ll push them. It’s sorted.

House of the Dragon releases its season two finale Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO and Max. Follow along with THR‘s season coverage and interviews.